Traveling within the World
Linking your favorite traveling artists across the globe
39
Quotes pertinent to Free Companionship
• "a free woman may herself, of her own free will, agree to be such a companion. And it is not unusual for a master to free one of his slave girls in order that she may share the full privileges of a Free Companionship. One may have, at a given time, an indefinite number of slaves, but only one Free Companion. Such relationships are not entered into lightly, and they are normally sundered only by death." (Outlaw of Gor, 54)
• "This harsh treatment, incidentally, when she is thought to deserve it, may even be inflicted on a Free Companion, in spite of the fact that she is free and usually much loved. According to the Gorean way of looking at things a taste of the slave ring is thought to be occasionally beneficial to all women, even the exalted Free Companions.
Thus when she has been irritable or otherwise troublesome even a Free Companion may find herself at the foot of the couch looking forward to a pleasant night on the stones, stripped, with neither mat nor blanket, chained to a slave ring precisely as though she were a lowly slave girl.
It is the Gorean way of reminding her, should she need to be reminded, that she, too, is a woman, and thus to be dominated, to be subject to men. Should she be tempted to forget this basic fact of Gorean life the slave ring set in the bottom of each Gorean couch is there to refresh her memory. Gor is a man's world.
And yet on this world I have seen great numbers of women who were both beautiful and splendid.
The Gorean woman, for reasons that are not altogether clear to me, considering the culture, rejoices in being a woman. She is often an exciting, magnificent, glorious creature, outspoken, talkative, vital, active, spirited. On the whole I find her more joyful than many of her earth-inhabiting sisters who, theoretically at least, enjoy a more lofty status, although it is surely true that on my old world I have met several women with something of the Gorean zest for acknowledging the radiant truth of their sex, the gifts of joy, grace and beauty, tenderness, and fathoms of love that we poor men, I suspect, may sometimes and tragically fail to understand, to comprehend.
Yet with all due respect and regard for the most astounding and marvelous sex, I suspect that, perhaps partly because of my Gorean training, it is true that a touch of the slave ring is occasionally beneficial.
Of custom, a slave girl may not even ascend the couch to serve her master's pleasure. The point of this restriction, I suppose, is to draw a clearer distinction between her status and that of a Free Companion. At any rate the dignities of the couch are, by custom, reserved for the Free Companion." (Priest-Kings of Gor, 67-68)
• "the privileges of a Free Companionship are never bestowed lightly. Also of course a Free Companionship might be refused, in all Gorean right, by the girl," (Priest-Kings of Gor, 162)
• "The privilege of using his name, of having it on her lips, is, according to the most approved custom, reserved for that of a free woman, in particular a Free Companion. Gorean thinking on this matter tends to be expressed by the saying that a slave girl grows bold if her lips are allowed to touch the name of her master." (Priest-Kings of Gor, 206)
• "There is no freer nor higher nor more beautiful woman," I said, "than the Gorean Free Companion." (Nomads of Gor, 290)
• "The talender is a flower which, in the Gorean mind, is associated with beauty and passion. Free Companions, on the Feast of their Free Companionship, commonly wear a garland of talenders." (Raiders of Gor, 216-217)
• "I removed from her throat the slave collar that her yielding, our games ended, would be that of the free woman, glorious in the eager and willing, the joyous, bestowal of herself." (Raiders of Gor, 246)
• "It was true that the Companionship, not renewed, had been dissolved in the eyes of Gorean law. It was further true that, had it not been so, the Companionship would have been terminated abruptly when one or the other of the pledged companions fell slave." (Hunters of Gor, 9)
• "The Goreans claim that in each woman there is a free companion, proud and beautiful, worthy and noble, and in each, too, a slave girl. The companion seeks for her companion; the slave girl for her master. It is further said, that on the couch, the Gorean girl, whether slave or free, who has had the experience, who has tried all loves, begs for a master. She wishes to belong completely to a man, withholding nothing, permitted to withhold nothing. And, of course, of all women, only a slave girl may truly belong to a man, only a slave girl can be truly his, in all ways, utterly, totally, completely his, selflessly, at his mercy, his ecstatic slave, helpless and joyous in the total submission which she is given no choice but to yield." (Hunters of Gor, 102-103)
• "She, while slave, could not even stand in companionship. She, even if freed, without family, and, by the same act, without caste, would have a status beneath the dignity of the meanest peasant wench, secure in the rights of her caste. Even if freed, Talena would be among the lowest women on Gor. Even a slave girl has at least a collar." (Hunters of Gor, 135)
• "A free woman, publicly, will commonly wear one or two veils; a frequent combination is the light veil, or last veil, and the house or street veil. Rich, vain women of high caste may wear ostentatiously as many as nine or ten veils. In certain cities, in connection with the free companionship, the betrothed or pledged beauty may wear eight veils, several of which are ritualistically removed during various phases of the ceremony of companionship; the final veils, and robes, of course, are removed in private by the male who, following their removal, arms interlocked with the girl, drinks with her the wine of the companionship, after which he completes the ceremony. This sort of thing, however, varies considerably from city to city. In some cities the girl is unveiled, though not disrobed, of course, during the public ceremony. The friends of the male may then express their pleasure and joy in her beauty, and their celebration of the good fortune of their friend. The veil, it might be noted, is not legally imperative for a free woman; it is rather a matter of modesty and custom. Some low-class, uncompanioned, free girls do not wear veils. Similarly certain bold free women neglect the veil. Neglect of the veil is not a crime in Gorean cities, though in some it is deemed a brazen and scandalous omission. Slave girls may or may not be veiled, this depending on the will of their master. Most slave girls are not permitted to veil themselves. Indeed, not only are they refused the dignity of the veil, but commonly they are placed in brief, exciting slave livery and may not even bind their hair. Such girls, healthy and vital, their hair unbound, their considerable charms well revealed by the brevity of their costume, are thought by men to constitute one of the more pleasurable aspects of the scenery of a city. Are the slaves of Ar, for example, more beautiful than those of, say, Ko-ro-ba, or Tharna? Men, the beasts, heatedly discuss such questions. In some cities, and among some groups and tribes, it might be mentioned, though this is not common, veils may be for most practical purposes unknown, even among free women. The cities of Gor are numerous and pluralistic. Each has its own history, customs and traditions. On the whole, however, Gorean culture prescribes the veil for free women." (Slave Girl of Gor, 107-108)
• "The Lady Sabina, I learned from Eta, was pledged by her father, Kleomenes, a pretentious, but powerful, upstart merchant of Fortress of Saphronicus, to Thandar of Ti, of the Warriors, youngest of the five sons of Ebullius Gaius Cassius, of the Warriors, Administrator of Ti, this done in a Companion Contract, arranged by both Ebullius Gaius Cassius and Kleomenes, to which had now been set the seals of both Ti and Fortress of Saphronicus.
...
The match had been initiated at the behest of Kleomenes, who was interested in negotiating a commercial and political alliance with the Salerian Confederation. ... It seemed not unlikely that the match would ultimately prove profitable and politically expedient for both Fortress of Saphronicus and the Salerian Confederation. In the match, there was much to gain by both parties. The Companion Contract, thus, had been duly negotiated, with the attention of scribes of the law from both Fortress of Saphronicus and the Confederation of Saleria. The Companion Journey, then, when the auspices had been favorable, as they promptly were, these determined by the inspection of the condition and nature of the liver of a sacrificial verr, examined by members of the caste of Initiates, had begun.
...
The Betrothal or Companion Journey, ceremonially, included the circuit of the four villages, in each of which a feast was held, and from each of which a wagon of produce was procured, to be added to the dowry riches to be presented to Ebullius Gains Cassius, father of Thandar of Ti, to be included in the treasury of Ti. I had seen four wagons of produce in the camp, and knew independently from Eta, that the four tributary villages had now been visited. The wagons of produce were not of great value but stood as token of the relation of the villages to Fortress of Saphronicus. Also, of course, visiting the villages presented the opportunity for publicizing the match and, doubtless, unobtrusively, in the feasting and celebration, for gathering the reaction, and general feelings, of the villages. Are they content? Is trouble brewing? Must a leader be deposed, or imprisoned? Must a daughter be taken hostage to the city? Accurate information on the oppressed is essential to the maintenance of the power of the oppressor.
...
Tomorrow the retinue would continue on toward Ti, to be met two days from now, outside the city, by a welcoming procession. Or thus it was planned.
...
One lunar month from this date, by the phases of the largest moon, after days of preparation, the ceremony of the companionship was scheduled to be consummated in Ti, binding together as companions Thandar of Ti, son of Ebullius Gaius Cassius, Administrator of Ti, and the Lady Sabina, daughter of Kleomenes, high merchant in Fortress of Saphronicus" (Slave Girl of Gor, 111-113)
• "His companion, I supposed, was no longer attractive to him, or, perhaps, in the prides of her freedom, was too remote to be much in his attention. It is easiest for a man to see a woman who is at his feet, begging to be seen." (Slave Girl of Gor, 140)
• "I ask this free woman," said he, indicating Sandal Thong, "for whom I muchly care, to accept me in free companionship." There was a great cry of pleasure from the villagers.
"But Thurnus," said she, "as I am now free do I not have the right to refuse?"
"True," said Thurnus, puzzled.
"Then, noble Thurnus," said she, evenly, calmly, "I do refuse. I will not be your companion."
Thurnus lowered the cup of paga. There was silence in the clearing.
Sandal Thong gently lowered herself to the ground, and lay on her belly before Thurnus. She took his right ankle in her hands and, holding it, pressed her lips softly down upon his foot, kissing it. She lifted her head, tears in her eyes. "Let me be instead your slave," she said.
"I offer you companionship," he said.
"I beg slavery," she said.
"Why?" he asked.
"I have been in your arms, Thurnus," she said. "In your arms I can be only a slave."
"I do not understand," he said.
"I would dishonor you," she said. "In your arms I can behave only as a slave."
"I see," said he, caste leader of Tabuk’s Ford.
"The love I bear you, Thurnus," she said, "is not the love of a free companion, but a hopeless slave girl’s love, a love so deep and rich that she who bears it can be only her man’s slave."
"Serve me paga," said Thurnus. He handed the goblet to Sandal Thong.
She took it and knelt before him, head down, proffering him the goblet. Though she was free, she served as a slave. Villagers gasped. Free women cried out, scandalized.
Thurnus set aside the cup.
"Have rope brought, and collar me, Thurnus," she said. "I am yours."
"Bring rope," said Thurnus.
Rope was brought.
Thurnus took the rope, and regarded the girl.
She looked up at him.
"Collar me," she said.
"If I collar you," he said, "you are again a slave."
"Collar me, Master," she said.
Thurnus wrapped the rope twice about her throat, and knotted it.
Sandal Thong knelt before him, his slave. He seized her in his mighty arms and crushed her to him, raping her lips with the master’s kiss, mighty in its lust and possession of the collared she, and she clutched him, helplessly, crying out. Her head was back, her lips were parted. He had begun to tear the tunic from her with his teeth. "Carry me from the light of the fire, Master," she begged. "But you are a slave," he laughed. He tore the garment from her and threw her between the feast fires. She looked up at him, her eyes wild with the passion-submission of the eager slave girl. "As master wills!" she cried, throwing her head and hair back in the dirt. He leaped to her and, between the feast fires, did lengthy ravishment upon her. Her cries must have carried beyond the palisaded walls." (Slave Girl of Gor, 239-240)
• "I did not move to become district leader," said Thurnus, "for it was your urging and intent that I do so. Had I sought the position it would have seemed to all that I did so for your ambition and to avoid the lashing of your tongue.
...
"In a man’s own hut," said he, "he must be master, even though he has selected out for himself a companion. It is the part of his companion to befriend and aid him, not to insult and drive him." (Slave Girl of Gor, 241)
• "I looked upon her. I suspected that never had Thurnus used her with such authority and force. Years ago, doubtless, she had been loved with the gentle tenderness accorded to free women. This was the first time in her life, I suspected, that she had felt the uncompromising, unbridled lust that may be vented on the helpless body of a female slave. Never before had she had an experience like this." (Slave Girl of Gor, 243)
• "Lady Sabina, of Fortress of Saphronicus, once intended to sit regally at his side, gloriously robed, his free companion." (Slave Girl of Gor, 299)
• "When the Companionship was under consideration by the Council of the Confederation," he said, "I slipped away, on tarn, to Fortress of Saphronicus. I spied on you, to see if you pleased me."
"Pleased!" she cried. It is beneath the dignity of a free woman to please a man. Slave girls please men." (Slave Girl of Gor, 420)
• "You can well understand my dilemma," he said. "Seeing you I wanted you. You were one of those women who is so feminine and attractive that a man finds it difficult to think of you in terms other than jealous ownership. I wanted to own you. I wanted you at my feet naked, in my collar. Yet you were intended to be my companion. How could one relate to a girl as feminine and beautiful as you, I ask you, other than as a master to a slave?" (Slave Girl of Gor, 421)
• "There were doubtless many women’s courts in his house. He had, I had heard, already more than two hundred companions, not to mention perhaps twice the number of slave girls, captures, purchases and gifts.
...
"The companionship," said one of the men, "will consolidate the relation of the Ukungu villages with the ubarate."
...
"Tende, another projected political companion for the inland Ubar."
...
"One of more than two hundred Ubaras!" scoffed Kisu." (Explorers of Gor, 232) Note this is not the standard way things are done but is a peculiarity of the leader of the Jungles and Rain Forests inland of Schendi.
• "A free woman’s name, of course, tends to remain constant. A Gorean free woman does not change her name in the ceremony of the Free Companionship. She remains who she was. In such a ceremony two free individuals have elected to become companions." (Explorers of Gor, 365)
• "From the Gorean point of view the wife of Earth occupies, a status which is higher than that of the slave but lower than that of the Free Companion." (Explorers of Gor, 365)
• "My companion would not even let me have a pet like you," said the other. (Fighting Slave of Gor, 123) Note: this is talking of a woman's companion preventing her from having an especially virile male slave
• "a noble companion, serene and beautiful, independent and regal" (Fighting Slave of Gor, 202)
• "I was once a girl of Port Cos," she said, "one born free, but one who knew herself in her heart to be a slave. I fled Port Cos to avoid an unwanted companionship. He who desired me too much respected me, and though I muchly loved him, I knew that he could not satisfy my slave needs. He wanted me as his companion and I wanted only to be his slave. He wanted me in veils and silk, and wished to serve me. I wanted only to be naked, and collared, and at his feet, kissing his whip." (Guardsman of Gor, 85)
• "How could I take to my bed in honor one who had dared to confess her slave needs? Such girls I could buy at the market. We parted, naturally. But our families, desiring the companionship, pressed us for explanations. That our honors might be protected, of course, yours that you had dared to confess your slave needs, and mine, that I had been the scandalized auditor of so shameful an admission, we remained silent."
"But," said she, moist-eyed, "that our courtship not appear to have failed, and that our families not be disgraced, you agreed to proceed with the companionship, this in accordance with your conception of your duty as an officer and a gentleman.
...
"You are mistaken in at least one thing," he said. "I had not determined to proceed with the companionship because of family pressures. I am not so weak. Similarly, my duties as an officer and a gentleman were not implicated in the matter.
...
"It was thus my intention to take you into honorable companionship," he said, "but, in the privacy of our quarters, away from the sight of the world, to put you in a collar, and keep you as a slave, even to the whip." (Guardsmen of Gor, 256-257)
• "Some Goreans think of the Free Companionship as being a form of contract slavery; this is not, of course, precisely correct; on the other hand, if more women took that definition seriously, I have little doubt but what free companionships would be far more rewarding than they now are, for many couples. They might then, under that interpretation, and held contractually enforceable on the woman, be that next best thing in her actual slavery. There is no full and adequate substitute, of course, given the dominance/submission ratios and the order of nature, for the uncompromised, and full and total bondage of the female. Once this is institutionalized and legalized, as it is on Gor, we have, then, the union of nature and civilization, a union in which civilization no longer functions as a counterbiological antithesis to nature but rather, perhaps, as an extension and flowering of nature herself, a union in which natural relationships are fulfilled and furthered." (Blood Brothers of Gor, 246-247)
• "Free companions, after all, can be anything. But slaves must be pleasing." (Players of Gor, 152)
• "We had left her before she had awakened. I had left some more food with her, and had tied a golden tarn disk of Port Kar, from my wallet, in the corner of the child’s blanket. With that she might buy much. Too, with it, or its residue, she might be able to make her way to a distant village, far from the trekking of armies, where she could use it as a bride price, using it, in effect, to purchase herself a companion, a good fellow who could care for herself and her child. Peasants, unlike women of the cities, tend to be very practical about such matters. She had shown me hospitality." (Mercenaries of Gor, 40)
• "Men are only human. They do not, nor should they have, endless patience, particularly with the sort of animal which you will then be. It is not like having a foolish free companion, one who knows no better, who will patiently work with you for years, trying to help you become a woman." (Mercenaries of Gor, 176)
• "Too, of course, daughters, unlike sons, are seldom economic assets to the family. Indeed they cannot even pass on the gens name. They can retain it in companionship, if they wish, if suitable contractual arrangements are secured, but they cannot pass it on. The survival of the name and the continuance of the patrilineal line are important to many Goreans." (Mercenaries of Gor, 303)
• "In slavery total intimacy is not only customary, but it can be made obligatory, under discipline. Masters like to know their girls. They want to know them with a depth, detail and intimacy that it would be quite inappropriate to expect of, or desire from, a prideful free companion, whose autonomy and privacy is protected by her lofty status. In a sense, the free woman is always, to one extent or another veiled. The slave, on the other hand, is not permitted veils. She is, so to speak, naked to the master, and fully." (Mercenaries of Gor, 349-350)
• "I did not doubt but what the small figure was more beautiful and attractive than the free companion. That was suggested by what must be its status... I wondered if the fellow in the wagon had acquired the individual under it merely for his interest and pleasure, or perhaps, too, as a way of encouraging his companion to take her own relationship with him more seriously. Perhaps, if his plan worked, in such a case, he might then be kind enough to discard the individual beneath the wagon, ridding himself of it, its work accomplished, in some market or other." (Renegades of Gor, 26)
• "I had little doubt, accordingly, that the blond woman kneeling before the fellow with the whip was his free companion, or former free companion. The girl who had been beneath the wagon last night, had been formerly purchased, and primarily purchased, I had suspected, in an attempt, I thought, by the fellow to encourage his companion to take her relationship with him more seriously. She had apparently done so, at least to the extent of treating the slave with great cruelty. But now the slave was gone, and there was a chain on her neck. He had apparently now gone to the heart of the matter. If she were still his free companion, it seemed she would now be kept in the modality of bondage, but perhaps she was now only his former free companion, and had been reduced to actual bondage, now being subject to purchase by anyone. I recalled how she had bent in terror to kiss his feet. There was no doubt that she would now take her relationship to him seriously.
It is difficult not to do so when one is owned, and subject to the whip. The woman would now discover that her companion, or former companion, a fellow perhaps hitherto taken somewhat too lightly, one perhaps hitherto accorded insufficient attention and respect, one perhaps hitherto neglected and ignored, even despised and scorned, was indeed a man, and one who now would see to it that she served him well, one who would now own and command her, one who would summon forth the woman in her, and claim from her, and receive from her, the total entitlements of the master." (Renegades of Gor, 143-144)
• "She is a slave," I said, "not a free companion, who may not be touched, to whom nothing may be done, even if she turns your life into a torture, even if she drives you mad, even if she intends to destroy you, hort by hort." (Magicians of Gor, 467) Note this quote is contradictory (and alone in its suggestions) to the general attitude in the other quotes. Perhaps it refers to a free companion should not be publicly whipped in the ways a slave is without either first reducing her to actual slavery or as an immediate precursor to enslavement.
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Sample Companion Contract
The following terms and tenets of this mutually structured contractual agreement of free companionship. Any breakings of any term is grounds for termination of the free companionship, other penalties apply as noted. Penalties and or guilt of breaking this contract is to be decided by the leader of (HIS CITY) with proper evidence, testimony, and honesty.
1. (MAN), keeps his property, property acquired prior to the commencement of the Free Companionship, unless other penalties apply to the infraction of a term.
2. (MAN) assets and holdings include:
3. (WOMAN), keeps her property, property acquired before the commencement of the Free Companionship, unless other penalties apply to the infraction of a term.
4. (WOMAN) assets and holdings include:
5. Both parties named in this contract agree that any sexual contact with another free person is grounds for the immediate termination of the contract and the property listed previously in sections above go to the non-guilty party, and that all will abide by Gorean Laws.
6. Should either party of this contract become legally enslaved, all property transfers to the companion and the Companionship is then terminated.
7. Both parties agree that any disputes of the contract will be settled by the leadership of (HIS CITY) in a fair, unbiased, just manner. There will be no evidence tampering, dishonesty, favoritism, etc. If such tampering is found to have occurred, all such decisions are null and void and the contract is terminated together with the afforementioned loss of property by the guilty party.
8. The agreed Companion Price is .
9. Custody of children born to this companionship shall revert to (NAME) in the event of nonrenewal or dissolution of this Companionship.
10. Any further acquisitions to the estate will be jointly divided if this contract should not be renewed.
11. The caste of (WOMAN) shall remain as it stands upon formation of this contract. OR The caste of (WOMAN) as of the creation of the companionship becomes (CASTE OF THE MAN).
12. (can add more here if you wish, if not delete this line and continue)
13. Upon receipt of this contract in (HER CITY), filed within the Cylinder of Documents, the Initiates shall be contacted to determine when the Companion Journey may begin.
14. This contract is valid upon celebration of the Feast of Companionship and as such is renewed annually from that date. The Feast of Companionship took place on (DATE).
I, by My hand and Gorean Honor as a Free Citizen, pledge to the above tenets and terms, with clear mind and free will.
(MAN or his agent — oftentimes his father)
(WOMAN or her agent — oftentimes her father)
Slave Quarters
Quarters of a High Slave: Sura's Quarters
"Door after door I passed, most with the heavy ornate locks, some secured merely with the signature knots of lowly men, or even slaves... I stopped suddenly, regarding one of the small, narrow wooden doors, giving entry surely only to the quarters of a slave." (Assassin of Gor, 400)
Slave Cell
"In the cylinder there are several varieties of retention areas, ranging from the luxuriousness of the cell shown to me earlier by Ho-Tu, in which Cernus was accustomed to keep special captures, to the iron pens. Some of the facilities were simply lines of reasonably clean cells, some with windows, usually a lavatory drain and something in the way of a mat to sleep on. Other rows of cells were rather more ornate, with heavy intricate grillwork taking the space of bars, hung with red silks, floored with furs and perhaps lit by a tharlarion oil lamp set in a barred recess in the ceiling." (Assassin of Gor, page 122)
Slave Kennel
"a kind of small, cement cell, customarily about three feet by three feet by four feet, with an iron gate, which can be raised and lowered; similar cells, but entirely of bars, are also common, and are to be found in the house of slavers; the smaller cells can function as separate units, and may be used to ship slaves, but they can also be locked together in groups to provide tiers of cells, usually bolted into a wall, conserving space." (Assassin of Gor, pages 122-123)
Slave Pens
"But the pens, of which there were several sorts, boasted no such luxuries. The expression 'The Iron Pens,' incidentally, generally refers to all of the subterranean retention facilities in the house of a slaver, not simply cages, but pits, steel drums, wall chains and such; it is the name of an area, on the whole, rather than a literal description of the nature of the only sort of security devices found there." (Assassin of Gor, page 122)
"I supposed it was from this sort of facility that the general expression 'The Iron Pens' took its origin. On each cage we passed, as we took our way over it, I saw a thin metal plate covered with numbers. Some of these numbers referred to the occupants within the cage, but other numbers were coded to instruct the keepers in such matters as diet, special precautions, date of the lot's acquisition, and its intended disposition. Some of the numbers had been scratched out, and others had been hammered into the plates, which were changed from time to time. The pens seemed humid and, though we were below ground, warm from the heat of the bodies. The only sanitation facility was an open metal mesh, supported by close-set horizontal bars, in the bottom of the cages, beneath which, some five feet below, was a cement floor, washed down and cleaned by slaves once daily. There was a feed trough at one side of each cage and a low watering pan on the other, both filled by means of tubes from the catwalk. The cages of female slaves were mixed in with those of the male slaves, presumably on no other basis than what cage happened to be empty at a given time. The female slaves, like the men, were unclothed, and wore collars; their collars, however, were not the typical locked collar of the female slave but, since they were only in the iron pens, a narrow band of iron, with a number, hammered about their neck. I noted that the females tended to remain near the center of their cage. Their food and water areas were protected from the wall of bars shared with the next cage, which might contain male slaves, by a heavy iron mesh, rather like that of the flooring, riveted by hammer to the bars." (Assassin of Gor, page 123)
"The Gorean slave girl knows who she is, the utter property of her Master or Mistress. Her condition, though abject, is honest. No one lies to her about it, not even she herself. She knows she is owned, and must do as she is told. She knows she is a woman, and must behave as one. She knows she is female and a slave. Should she forget this, punishment will remind her.
The Gorean slave girl if nothing else is commonly no stranger to love. She is not permitted to be. She is at a Master's/Mistress's beck and call and accordingly, willingly or not, will be taught love. If necessary she will learn it under the whip writhing in chains.
The Gorean slave girl in my opinion, is the most desirable of women. What man I wonder, fully aroused, does not wish to own his woman. What woman, I wonder, fully aroused, helpless, is not in fact, in the arms of her lover, owned." (Hunters of Gor, page 198)
"I had noted, too, interestingly, just before she had whirled away, that she was shy. I assessed her as being quite intelligent, extremely sensitive, and an excellent slave." (Magicians of Gor, page 56)
Magicians of Gor:
"You understand," said he to Lavinia, "that if I make this decision, it is made."
"Yes, Master!" she said.
"Once it is made, it is made," he said.
"Yes, Master!" she said.
"And that is acceptable to you?" he asked.
"She is a slave," I said. "It makes no difference whether it is acceptable to her or not. You are the master."
He looked down at Lavinia.
"He is right, of course, Master," she said. "My wishes are nothing, as they are only the wishes of a slave. My will is nothing, as it is only the will of a slave. I am at your mercy, totally. I am in your power, completely."
...
"It is one thing to own a woman," I said, "and it is another to have her within the bonds of an excellent mastery."
"Undoubtedly," he said.
"I do not think you have had much experience at this sort of thing," I said.
"No," he admitted. "I haven’t."
"Perhaps you, slave girl," I said to Lavinia, "can teach him something about the handling of slaves."
"Of course, Master," she smiled.
"You must make certain that you get everything you want (page 466) from her," I said, "and then, if you wish, more, even a thousand times more."
...
She must know that, you are not to be trifled with. She must know herself to be always within your discipline."
"I understand," he said.
"And as she is female," I said, "she may occasionally, curious, foolishly, particularly at first, wish to test the strength of your will, to discover, if you like, the boundaries of her condition."
"Master!" protested Lavinia.
"It is then up to you to teach her what they are, promptly, decisively, unmistakably."
"I understand," he said.
"She wants to know, so to speak, the length of her chain, the location of the walls of her cell. Too, she wants to be reassured of your strength. She wants to know that you are her master, truly, in the fullness of reality. Having learned this, she need not be so foolish in the future. She will have discovered that stone is hard and that fire burns. Thenceforth she will be in her place, pleased and content."
"The whip, tell him of the whip, Master!" said Lavinia.
"It is a symbol of authority, and an instrument of discipline," I said. "The slave is subject to it. Some masters think it is useful to occasionally use it on a slave, if only to remind her that she is a slave."
"How could anything so beautiful be touched with the leather?" he asked.
"That we learn to obey, and who is master!" laughed Lavinia.
"Buy a whip," I advised him.
"Yes, Master," said Lavinia.
"You wish me to buy a whip?" asked Milo of the slave.
"Yes, Master!" she said.
"But, why?" he asked.
"So I well know that I must obey, and be pleasing!" she said.
"I see," he said.
"And that you will have a convenient implement at hand for enforcing my discipline," she said.
"A whip, of course, is not absolutely necessary," I said. "There are many other means of enforcing discipline."
(page 467) "True," said Lavinia.
"But there is much to be said for the whip," I said. "It is perhaps the simplest, most practical device for such purposes. It is also traditional. Also, of course, it has symbolic value."
...
"You truly think I should get a whip?" asked Milo. I was pleased that he had addressed this question to me, and not to Lavinia. He was beginning, I noted, to get a sense of the mastery. The decision in such matters lay among free men, not with slaves. Lavinia looked up at, smiling. She, too, to her delight, recognized that she had been left out of the matter. Milo was learning, quickly, how to relate to her, namely, as her master. She was a slave. Such decisions would be made by others. She would not participate in them, but, as was appropriate for a slave, simply abide by their consequences.
...
"She is a slave," I said, "not a free companion, who may not be touched, to whom nothing may be done, even if she turns your life into a torture, even if she drives you mad, even if she intends to destroy you, hort by hort."
________________________________________
Branding as a Slave
A collar shows who owns a slave, but a brand normally identifies that a girl that is a slave. Hence, in the books, a brand almost always preceded a collar.
"carried Virginia to the branding rack and placed her in the rack, spinning the lever that locked her thigh in place. She said nothing but stood there, wrists braceleted behind her back, locked in place, watching the approach of the iron, observing the graceful, white-hot character at the iron's termination; she screamed uncontrollably when the iron marked her, firmly, decisively for about three Ihn; and then she sobbed, beside herself, while the guard spun the lever releasing her; he lifted her from the rack and put her on the stones at the feet of Ho-Tu and Flaminius" (Assassin of Gor, 149)
Much care is put into the choice of a brand and its application. Although mechanical branding devices are available, it is still a common task of the Metal Workers to hand-brand new slaves: "'The rack, however, is a useful device, preventing a blurred brand.' He indicated the guard. 'Strius,' said he, 'has one of the finest irons in Ar. His work is almost always exact and clean.'" (Assassin of Gor, 150)
"The most common brand sites, that on the left thigh, the favorite, and that on the right thigh, lacked slave marks. This determination, given the nature of her gamenture, could be instantly made. I then put her on her feet. "Oh!" she said. She was not branded on the lower left abdomen. That is perhaps the third most favored brand site. I then checked several other brand sites, such as the inside of the forearms, the left side of the neck, behind and below the left ear, the backs of her legs, and her buttocks. I even examined the insteps of her left and right feet. Her body was not branded." (Renegades of Gor, page 124)
Though a slave may be branded with a personal or city mark, most commonly kajira are branded simply with the first letter of the Gorean word for slave. There are also penalty brands which may be placed to mark a girl as a liar, a thief, a traitoress, etc.
• Kef: the first character in Gorean of the word "slave" — kajira or kajirus. It is the most common slave brand. Often the cursive k is used upon a kajira, and block-print upon a kajirus. (Outlaw of Gor, page 187)
o Staff & Fronds: regarded as a symbol of "beauty subject to discipline" (Savages of Gor, page 75) this mark is actually another name for the cursive kef (Savages of Gor, page 75)
• Dina: another common slave brand is that of a dina blossom, a small multi-petalled flower frequently referred to as the "slave flower." (Slave Girl of Gor, page 60-61)
• Sa`Fora Mark: "another common expression for a female slave, incidentally, the initial of which, in cursive script, is sometimes used to mark a girl, is Sa-Fora" (Hunters of Gor, page 194)
• Torvaldsland's Mark: "The brand used by the Forkbeard, found rather frequently in the North, consisted of a half circle, with, at it's right tip, adjoining it, a steep diagonal line. The half circle is about and inch and a quarter in height. The brand is, like many, symbolic, in the north, the bond-maid is sometimes referred to as a woman whose belly lies beneath the sword." (Marauders of Gor, page 87)
• Treve's Mark: "She regarded the brand. "It is the first letter, in cursive script," she said, "of the name of the city of Treve." (Captive of Gor, page 277)
• Port Kar's Mark: "I thought the brand of Port Kar might look well upon her body, placed above that of Treve." (Explorers of Gor)
• Tuchuk: "Tuchuk standard, the brand of the four bosk horns, set in a manner to somewhat resemble the letter H, is only about an inch high." (Nomads of Gor, page 62)
• Kataii brand: a bow facing to the left (Hunters of Gor, page 194)
• Kassar brand: three-weighted bola (Hunters of Gor, page 194)
• Paravaci: a semicircle on an inverted isosceles triangle representing a bosk head (Hunters of Gor, page 194)
• Taharic Slave Mark (Tribesmen of Gor, page 337) Shown above is what I had envisioned since I did not believe the books actually described the Taharic mark in detail... I was wrong.
• "a free woman may herself, of her own free will, agree to be such a companion. And it is not unusual for a master to free one of his slave girls in order that she may share the full privileges of a Free Companionship. One may have, at a given time, an indefinite number of slaves, but only one Free Companion. Such relationships are not entered into lightly, and they are normally sundered only by death." (Outlaw of Gor, 54)
• "This harsh treatment, incidentally, when she is thought to deserve it, may even be inflicted on a Free Companion, in spite of the fact that she is free and usually much loved. According to the Gorean way of looking at things a taste of the slave ring is thought to be occasionally beneficial to all women, even the exalted Free Companions.
Thus when she has been irritable or otherwise troublesome even a Free Companion may find herself at the foot of the couch looking forward to a pleasant night on the stones, stripped, with neither mat nor blanket, chained to a slave ring precisely as though she were a lowly slave girl.
It is the Gorean way of reminding her, should she need to be reminded, that she, too, is a woman, and thus to be dominated, to be subject to men. Should she be tempted to forget this basic fact of Gorean life the slave ring set in the bottom of each Gorean couch is there to refresh her memory. Gor is a man's world.
And yet on this world I have seen great numbers of women who were both beautiful and splendid.
The Gorean woman, for reasons that are not altogether clear to me, considering the culture, rejoices in being a woman. She is often an exciting, magnificent, glorious creature, outspoken, talkative, vital, active, spirited. On the whole I find her more joyful than many of her earth-inhabiting sisters who, theoretically at least, enjoy a more lofty status, although it is surely true that on my old world I have met several women with something of the Gorean zest for acknowledging the radiant truth of their sex, the gifts of joy, grace and beauty, tenderness, and fathoms of love that we poor men, I suspect, may sometimes and tragically fail to understand, to comprehend.
Yet with all due respect and regard for the most astounding and marvelous sex, I suspect that, perhaps partly because of my Gorean training, it is true that a touch of the slave ring is occasionally beneficial.
Of custom, a slave girl may not even ascend the couch to serve her master's pleasure. The point of this restriction, I suppose, is to draw a clearer distinction between her status and that of a Free Companion. At any rate the dignities of the couch are, by custom, reserved for the Free Companion." (Priest-Kings of Gor, 67-68)
• "the privileges of a Free Companionship are never bestowed lightly. Also of course a Free Companionship might be refused, in all Gorean right, by the girl," (Priest-Kings of Gor, 162)
• "The privilege of using his name, of having it on her lips, is, according to the most approved custom, reserved for that of a free woman, in particular a Free Companion. Gorean thinking on this matter tends to be expressed by the saying that a slave girl grows bold if her lips are allowed to touch the name of her master." (Priest-Kings of Gor, 206)
• "There is no freer nor higher nor more beautiful woman," I said, "than the Gorean Free Companion." (Nomads of Gor, 290)
• "The talender is a flower which, in the Gorean mind, is associated with beauty and passion. Free Companions, on the Feast of their Free Companionship, commonly wear a garland of talenders." (Raiders of Gor, 216-217)
• "I removed from her throat the slave collar that her yielding, our games ended, would be that of the free woman, glorious in the eager and willing, the joyous, bestowal of herself." (Raiders of Gor, 246)
• "It was true that the Companionship, not renewed, had been dissolved in the eyes of Gorean law. It was further true that, had it not been so, the Companionship would have been terminated abruptly when one or the other of the pledged companions fell slave." (Hunters of Gor, 9)
• "The Goreans claim that in each woman there is a free companion, proud and beautiful, worthy and noble, and in each, too, a slave girl. The companion seeks for her companion; the slave girl for her master. It is further said, that on the couch, the Gorean girl, whether slave or free, who has had the experience, who has tried all loves, begs for a master. She wishes to belong completely to a man, withholding nothing, permitted to withhold nothing. And, of course, of all women, only a slave girl may truly belong to a man, only a slave girl can be truly his, in all ways, utterly, totally, completely his, selflessly, at his mercy, his ecstatic slave, helpless and joyous in the total submission which she is given no choice but to yield." (Hunters of Gor, 102-103)
• "She, while slave, could not even stand in companionship. She, even if freed, without family, and, by the same act, without caste, would have a status beneath the dignity of the meanest peasant wench, secure in the rights of her caste. Even if freed, Talena would be among the lowest women on Gor. Even a slave girl has at least a collar." (Hunters of Gor, 135)
• "A free woman, publicly, will commonly wear one or two veils; a frequent combination is the light veil, or last veil, and the house or street veil. Rich, vain women of high caste may wear ostentatiously as many as nine or ten veils. In certain cities, in connection with the free companionship, the betrothed or pledged beauty may wear eight veils, several of which are ritualistically removed during various phases of the ceremony of companionship; the final veils, and robes, of course, are removed in private by the male who, following their removal, arms interlocked with the girl, drinks with her the wine of the companionship, after which he completes the ceremony. This sort of thing, however, varies considerably from city to city. In some cities the girl is unveiled, though not disrobed, of course, during the public ceremony. The friends of the male may then express their pleasure and joy in her beauty, and their celebration of the good fortune of their friend. The veil, it might be noted, is not legally imperative for a free woman; it is rather a matter of modesty and custom. Some low-class, uncompanioned, free girls do not wear veils. Similarly certain bold free women neglect the veil. Neglect of the veil is not a crime in Gorean cities, though in some it is deemed a brazen and scandalous omission. Slave girls may or may not be veiled, this depending on the will of their master. Most slave girls are not permitted to veil themselves. Indeed, not only are they refused the dignity of the veil, but commonly they are placed in brief, exciting slave livery and may not even bind their hair. Such girls, healthy and vital, their hair unbound, their considerable charms well revealed by the brevity of their costume, are thought by men to constitute one of the more pleasurable aspects of the scenery of a city. Are the slaves of Ar, for example, more beautiful than those of, say, Ko-ro-ba, or Tharna? Men, the beasts, heatedly discuss such questions. In some cities, and among some groups and tribes, it might be mentioned, though this is not common, veils may be for most practical purposes unknown, even among free women. The cities of Gor are numerous and pluralistic. Each has its own history, customs and traditions. On the whole, however, Gorean culture prescribes the veil for free women." (Slave Girl of Gor, 107-108)
• "The Lady Sabina, I learned from Eta, was pledged by her father, Kleomenes, a pretentious, but powerful, upstart merchant of Fortress of Saphronicus, to Thandar of Ti, of the Warriors, youngest of the five sons of Ebullius Gaius Cassius, of the Warriors, Administrator of Ti, this done in a Companion Contract, arranged by both Ebullius Gaius Cassius and Kleomenes, to which had now been set the seals of both Ti and Fortress of Saphronicus.
...
The match had been initiated at the behest of Kleomenes, who was interested in negotiating a commercial and political alliance with the Salerian Confederation. ... It seemed not unlikely that the match would ultimately prove profitable and politically expedient for both Fortress of Saphronicus and the Salerian Confederation. In the match, there was much to gain by both parties. The Companion Contract, thus, had been duly negotiated, with the attention of scribes of the law from both Fortress of Saphronicus and the Confederation of Saleria. The Companion Journey, then, when the auspices had been favorable, as they promptly were, these determined by the inspection of the condition and nature of the liver of a sacrificial verr, examined by members of the caste of Initiates, had begun.
...
The Betrothal or Companion Journey, ceremonially, included the circuit of the four villages, in each of which a feast was held, and from each of which a wagon of produce was procured, to be added to the dowry riches to be presented to Ebullius Gains Cassius, father of Thandar of Ti, to be included in the treasury of Ti. I had seen four wagons of produce in the camp, and knew independently from Eta, that the four tributary villages had now been visited. The wagons of produce were not of great value but stood as token of the relation of the villages to Fortress of Saphronicus. Also, of course, visiting the villages presented the opportunity for publicizing the match and, doubtless, unobtrusively, in the feasting and celebration, for gathering the reaction, and general feelings, of the villages. Are they content? Is trouble brewing? Must a leader be deposed, or imprisoned? Must a daughter be taken hostage to the city? Accurate information on the oppressed is essential to the maintenance of the power of the oppressor.
...
Tomorrow the retinue would continue on toward Ti, to be met two days from now, outside the city, by a welcoming procession. Or thus it was planned.
...
One lunar month from this date, by the phases of the largest moon, after days of preparation, the ceremony of the companionship was scheduled to be consummated in Ti, binding together as companions Thandar of Ti, son of Ebullius Gaius Cassius, Administrator of Ti, and the Lady Sabina, daughter of Kleomenes, high merchant in Fortress of Saphronicus" (Slave Girl of Gor, 111-113)
• "His companion, I supposed, was no longer attractive to him, or, perhaps, in the prides of her freedom, was too remote to be much in his attention. It is easiest for a man to see a woman who is at his feet, begging to be seen." (Slave Girl of Gor, 140)
• "I ask this free woman," said he, indicating Sandal Thong, "for whom I muchly care, to accept me in free companionship." There was a great cry of pleasure from the villagers.
"But Thurnus," said she, "as I am now free do I not have the right to refuse?"
"True," said Thurnus, puzzled.
"Then, noble Thurnus," said she, evenly, calmly, "I do refuse. I will not be your companion."
Thurnus lowered the cup of paga. There was silence in the clearing.
Sandal Thong gently lowered herself to the ground, and lay on her belly before Thurnus. She took his right ankle in her hands and, holding it, pressed her lips softly down upon his foot, kissing it. She lifted her head, tears in her eyes. "Let me be instead your slave," she said.
"I offer you companionship," he said.
"I beg slavery," she said.
"Why?" he asked.
"I have been in your arms, Thurnus," she said. "In your arms I can be only a slave."
"I do not understand," he said.
"I would dishonor you," she said. "In your arms I can behave only as a slave."
"I see," said he, caste leader of Tabuk’s Ford.
"The love I bear you, Thurnus," she said, "is not the love of a free companion, but a hopeless slave girl’s love, a love so deep and rich that she who bears it can be only her man’s slave."
"Serve me paga," said Thurnus. He handed the goblet to Sandal Thong.
She took it and knelt before him, head down, proffering him the goblet. Though she was free, she served as a slave. Villagers gasped. Free women cried out, scandalized.
Thurnus set aside the cup.
"Have rope brought, and collar me, Thurnus," she said. "I am yours."
"Bring rope," said Thurnus.
Rope was brought.
Thurnus took the rope, and regarded the girl.
She looked up at him.
"Collar me," she said.
"If I collar you," he said, "you are again a slave."
"Collar me, Master," she said.
Thurnus wrapped the rope twice about her throat, and knotted it.
Sandal Thong knelt before him, his slave. He seized her in his mighty arms and crushed her to him, raping her lips with the master’s kiss, mighty in its lust and possession of the collared she, and she clutched him, helplessly, crying out. Her head was back, her lips were parted. He had begun to tear the tunic from her with his teeth. "Carry me from the light of the fire, Master," she begged. "But you are a slave," he laughed. He tore the garment from her and threw her between the feast fires. She looked up at him, her eyes wild with the passion-submission of the eager slave girl. "As master wills!" she cried, throwing her head and hair back in the dirt. He leaped to her and, between the feast fires, did lengthy ravishment upon her. Her cries must have carried beyond the palisaded walls." (Slave Girl of Gor, 239-240)
• "I did not move to become district leader," said Thurnus, "for it was your urging and intent that I do so. Had I sought the position it would have seemed to all that I did so for your ambition and to avoid the lashing of your tongue.
...
"In a man’s own hut," said he, "he must be master, even though he has selected out for himself a companion. It is the part of his companion to befriend and aid him, not to insult and drive him." (Slave Girl of Gor, 241)
• "I looked upon her. I suspected that never had Thurnus used her with such authority and force. Years ago, doubtless, she had been loved with the gentle tenderness accorded to free women. This was the first time in her life, I suspected, that she had felt the uncompromising, unbridled lust that may be vented on the helpless body of a female slave. Never before had she had an experience like this." (Slave Girl of Gor, 243)
• "Lady Sabina, of Fortress of Saphronicus, once intended to sit regally at his side, gloriously robed, his free companion." (Slave Girl of Gor, 299)
• "When the Companionship was under consideration by the Council of the Confederation," he said, "I slipped away, on tarn, to Fortress of Saphronicus. I spied on you, to see if you pleased me."
"Pleased!" she cried. It is beneath the dignity of a free woman to please a man. Slave girls please men." (Slave Girl of Gor, 420)
• "You can well understand my dilemma," he said. "Seeing you I wanted you. You were one of those women who is so feminine and attractive that a man finds it difficult to think of you in terms other than jealous ownership. I wanted to own you. I wanted you at my feet naked, in my collar. Yet you were intended to be my companion. How could one relate to a girl as feminine and beautiful as you, I ask you, other than as a master to a slave?" (Slave Girl of Gor, 421)
• "There were doubtless many women’s courts in his house. He had, I had heard, already more than two hundred companions, not to mention perhaps twice the number of slave girls, captures, purchases and gifts.
...
"The companionship," said one of the men, "will consolidate the relation of the Ukungu villages with the ubarate."
...
"Tende, another projected political companion for the inland Ubar."
...
"One of more than two hundred Ubaras!" scoffed Kisu." (Explorers of Gor, 232) Note this is not the standard way things are done but is a peculiarity of the leader of the Jungles and Rain Forests inland of Schendi.
• "A free woman’s name, of course, tends to remain constant. A Gorean free woman does not change her name in the ceremony of the Free Companionship. She remains who she was. In such a ceremony two free individuals have elected to become companions." (Explorers of Gor, 365)
• "From the Gorean point of view the wife of Earth occupies, a status which is higher than that of the slave but lower than that of the Free Companion." (Explorers of Gor, 365)
• "My companion would not even let me have a pet like you," said the other. (Fighting Slave of Gor, 123) Note: this is talking of a woman's companion preventing her from having an especially virile male slave
• "a noble companion, serene and beautiful, independent and regal" (Fighting Slave of Gor, 202)
• "I was once a girl of Port Cos," she said, "one born free, but one who knew herself in her heart to be a slave. I fled Port Cos to avoid an unwanted companionship. He who desired me too much respected me, and though I muchly loved him, I knew that he could not satisfy my slave needs. He wanted me as his companion and I wanted only to be his slave. He wanted me in veils and silk, and wished to serve me. I wanted only to be naked, and collared, and at his feet, kissing his whip." (Guardsman of Gor, 85)
• "How could I take to my bed in honor one who had dared to confess her slave needs? Such girls I could buy at the market. We parted, naturally. But our families, desiring the companionship, pressed us for explanations. That our honors might be protected, of course, yours that you had dared to confess your slave needs, and mine, that I had been the scandalized auditor of so shameful an admission, we remained silent."
"But," said she, moist-eyed, "that our courtship not appear to have failed, and that our families not be disgraced, you agreed to proceed with the companionship, this in accordance with your conception of your duty as an officer and a gentleman.
...
"You are mistaken in at least one thing," he said. "I had not determined to proceed with the companionship because of family pressures. I am not so weak. Similarly, my duties as an officer and a gentleman were not implicated in the matter.
...
"It was thus my intention to take you into honorable companionship," he said, "but, in the privacy of our quarters, away from the sight of the world, to put you in a collar, and keep you as a slave, even to the whip." (Guardsmen of Gor, 256-257)
• "Some Goreans think of the Free Companionship as being a form of contract slavery; this is not, of course, precisely correct; on the other hand, if more women took that definition seriously, I have little doubt but what free companionships would be far more rewarding than they now are, for many couples. They might then, under that interpretation, and held contractually enforceable on the woman, be that next best thing in her actual slavery. There is no full and adequate substitute, of course, given the dominance/submission ratios and the order of nature, for the uncompromised, and full and total bondage of the female. Once this is institutionalized and legalized, as it is on Gor, we have, then, the union of nature and civilization, a union in which civilization no longer functions as a counterbiological antithesis to nature but rather, perhaps, as an extension and flowering of nature herself, a union in which natural relationships are fulfilled and furthered." (Blood Brothers of Gor, 246-247)
• "Free companions, after all, can be anything. But slaves must be pleasing." (Players of Gor, 152)
• "We had left her before she had awakened. I had left some more food with her, and had tied a golden tarn disk of Port Kar, from my wallet, in the corner of the child’s blanket. With that she might buy much. Too, with it, or its residue, she might be able to make her way to a distant village, far from the trekking of armies, where she could use it as a bride price, using it, in effect, to purchase herself a companion, a good fellow who could care for herself and her child. Peasants, unlike women of the cities, tend to be very practical about such matters. She had shown me hospitality." (Mercenaries of Gor, 40)
• "Men are only human. They do not, nor should they have, endless patience, particularly with the sort of animal which you will then be. It is not like having a foolish free companion, one who knows no better, who will patiently work with you for years, trying to help you become a woman." (Mercenaries of Gor, 176)
• "Too, of course, daughters, unlike sons, are seldom economic assets to the family. Indeed they cannot even pass on the gens name. They can retain it in companionship, if they wish, if suitable contractual arrangements are secured, but they cannot pass it on. The survival of the name and the continuance of the patrilineal line are important to many Goreans." (Mercenaries of Gor, 303)
• "In slavery total intimacy is not only customary, but it can be made obligatory, under discipline. Masters like to know their girls. They want to know them with a depth, detail and intimacy that it would be quite inappropriate to expect of, or desire from, a prideful free companion, whose autonomy and privacy is protected by her lofty status. In a sense, the free woman is always, to one extent or another veiled. The slave, on the other hand, is not permitted veils. She is, so to speak, naked to the master, and fully." (Mercenaries of Gor, 349-350)
• "I did not doubt but what the small figure was more beautiful and attractive than the free companion. That was suggested by what must be its status... I wondered if the fellow in the wagon had acquired the individual under it merely for his interest and pleasure, or perhaps, too, as a way of encouraging his companion to take her own relationship with him more seriously. Perhaps, if his plan worked, in such a case, he might then be kind enough to discard the individual beneath the wagon, ridding himself of it, its work accomplished, in some market or other." (Renegades of Gor, 26)
• "I had little doubt, accordingly, that the blond woman kneeling before the fellow with the whip was his free companion, or former free companion. The girl who had been beneath the wagon last night, had been formerly purchased, and primarily purchased, I had suspected, in an attempt, I thought, by the fellow to encourage his companion to take her relationship with him more seriously. She had apparently done so, at least to the extent of treating the slave with great cruelty. But now the slave was gone, and there was a chain on her neck. He had apparently now gone to the heart of the matter. If she were still his free companion, it seemed she would now be kept in the modality of bondage, but perhaps she was now only his former free companion, and had been reduced to actual bondage, now being subject to purchase by anyone. I recalled how she had bent in terror to kiss his feet. There was no doubt that she would now take her relationship to him seriously.
It is difficult not to do so when one is owned, and subject to the whip. The woman would now discover that her companion, or former companion, a fellow perhaps hitherto taken somewhat too lightly, one perhaps hitherto accorded insufficient attention and respect, one perhaps hitherto neglected and ignored, even despised and scorned, was indeed a man, and one who now would see to it that she served him well, one who would now own and command her, one who would summon forth the woman in her, and claim from her, and receive from her, the total entitlements of the master." (Renegades of Gor, 143-144)
• "She is a slave," I said, "not a free companion, who may not be touched, to whom nothing may be done, even if she turns your life into a torture, even if she drives you mad, even if she intends to destroy you, hort by hort." (Magicians of Gor, 467) Note this quote is contradictory (and alone in its suggestions) to the general attitude in the other quotes. Perhaps it refers to a free companion should not be publicly whipped in the ways a slave is without either first reducing her to actual slavery or as an immediate precursor to enslavement.
________________________________________
Sample Companion Contract
The following terms and tenets of this mutually structured contractual agreement of free companionship. Any breakings of any term is grounds for termination of the free companionship, other penalties apply as noted. Penalties and or guilt of breaking this contract is to be decided by the leader of (HIS CITY) with proper evidence, testimony, and honesty.
1. (MAN), keeps his property, property acquired prior to the commencement of the Free Companionship, unless other penalties apply to the infraction of a term.
2. (MAN) assets and holdings include:
3. (WOMAN), keeps her property, property acquired before the commencement of the Free Companionship, unless other penalties apply to the infraction of a term.
4. (WOMAN) assets and holdings include:
5. Both parties named in this contract agree that any sexual contact with another free person is grounds for the immediate termination of the contract and the property listed previously in sections above go to the non-guilty party, and that all will abide by Gorean Laws.
6. Should either party of this contract become legally enslaved, all property transfers to the companion and the Companionship is then terminated.
7. Both parties agree that any disputes of the contract will be settled by the leadership of (HIS CITY) in a fair, unbiased, just manner. There will be no evidence tampering, dishonesty, favoritism, etc. If such tampering is found to have occurred, all such decisions are null and void and the contract is terminated together with the afforementioned loss of property by the guilty party.
8. The agreed Companion Price is .
9. Custody of children born to this companionship shall revert to (NAME) in the event of nonrenewal or dissolution of this Companionship.
10. Any further acquisitions to the estate will be jointly divided if this contract should not be renewed.
11. The caste of (WOMAN) shall remain as it stands upon formation of this contract. OR The caste of (WOMAN) as of the creation of the companionship becomes (CASTE OF THE MAN).
12. (can add more here if you wish, if not delete this line and continue)
13. Upon receipt of this contract in (HER CITY), filed within the Cylinder of Documents, the Initiates shall be contacted to determine when the Companion Journey may begin.
14. This contract is valid upon celebration of the Feast of Companionship and as such is renewed annually from that date. The Feast of Companionship took place on (DATE).
I, by My hand and Gorean Honor as a Free Citizen, pledge to the above tenets and terms, with clear mind and free will.
(MAN or his agent — oftentimes his father)
(WOMAN or her agent — oftentimes her father)
Slave Quarters
Quarters of a High Slave: Sura's Quarters
"Door after door I passed, most with the heavy ornate locks, some secured merely with the signature knots of lowly men, or even slaves... I stopped suddenly, regarding one of the small, narrow wooden doors, giving entry surely only to the quarters of a slave." (Assassin of Gor, 400)
Slave Cell
"In the cylinder there are several varieties of retention areas, ranging from the luxuriousness of the cell shown to me earlier by Ho-Tu, in which Cernus was accustomed to keep special captures, to the iron pens. Some of the facilities were simply lines of reasonably clean cells, some with windows, usually a lavatory drain and something in the way of a mat to sleep on. Other rows of cells were rather more ornate, with heavy intricate grillwork taking the space of bars, hung with red silks, floored with furs and perhaps lit by a tharlarion oil lamp set in a barred recess in the ceiling." (Assassin of Gor, page 122)
Slave Kennel
"a kind of small, cement cell, customarily about three feet by three feet by four feet, with an iron gate, which can be raised and lowered; similar cells, but entirely of bars, are also common, and are to be found in the house of slavers; the smaller cells can function as separate units, and may be used to ship slaves, but they can also be locked together in groups to provide tiers of cells, usually bolted into a wall, conserving space." (Assassin of Gor, pages 122-123)
Slave Pens
"But the pens, of which there were several sorts, boasted no such luxuries. The expression 'The Iron Pens,' incidentally, generally refers to all of the subterranean retention facilities in the house of a slaver, not simply cages, but pits, steel drums, wall chains and such; it is the name of an area, on the whole, rather than a literal description of the nature of the only sort of security devices found there." (Assassin of Gor, page 122)
"I supposed it was from this sort of facility that the general expression 'The Iron Pens' took its origin. On each cage we passed, as we took our way over it, I saw a thin metal plate covered with numbers. Some of these numbers referred to the occupants within the cage, but other numbers were coded to instruct the keepers in such matters as diet, special precautions, date of the lot's acquisition, and its intended disposition. Some of the numbers had been scratched out, and others had been hammered into the plates, which were changed from time to time. The pens seemed humid and, though we were below ground, warm from the heat of the bodies. The only sanitation facility was an open metal mesh, supported by close-set horizontal bars, in the bottom of the cages, beneath which, some five feet below, was a cement floor, washed down and cleaned by slaves once daily. There was a feed trough at one side of each cage and a low watering pan on the other, both filled by means of tubes from the catwalk. The cages of female slaves were mixed in with those of the male slaves, presumably on no other basis than what cage happened to be empty at a given time. The female slaves, like the men, were unclothed, and wore collars; their collars, however, were not the typical locked collar of the female slave but, since they were only in the iron pens, a narrow band of iron, with a number, hammered about their neck. I noted that the females tended to remain near the center of their cage. Their food and water areas were protected from the wall of bars shared with the next cage, which might contain male slaves, by a heavy iron mesh, rather like that of the flooring, riveted by hammer to the bars." (Assassin of Gor, page 123)
"The Gorean slave girl knows who she is, the utter property of her Master or Mistress. Her condition, though abject, is honest. No one lies to her about it, not even she herself. She knows she is owned, and must do as she is told. She knows she is a woman, and must behave as one. She knows she is female and a slave. Should she forget this, punishment will remind her.
The Gorean slave girl if nothing else is commonly no stranger to love. She is not permitted to be. She is at a Master's/Mistress's beck and call and accordingly, willingly or not, will be taught love. If necessary she will learn it under the whip writhing in chains.
The Gorean slave girl in my opinion, is the most desirable of women. What man I wonder, fully aroused, does not wish to own his woman. What woman, I wonder, fully aroused, helpless, is not in fact, in the arms of her lover, owned." (Hunters of Gor, page 198)
"I had noted, too, interestingly, just before she had whirled away, that she was shy. I assessed her as being quite intelligent, extremely sensitive, and an excellent slave." (Magicians of Gor, page 56)
Magicians of Gor:
"You understand," said he to Lavinia, "that if I make this decision, it is made."
"Yes, Master!" she said.
"Once it is made, it is made," he said.
"Yes, Master!" she said.
"And that is acceptable to you?" he asked.
"She is a slave," I said. "It makes no difference whether it is acceptable to her or not. You are the master."
He looked down at Lavinia.
"He is right, of course, Master," she said. "My wishes are nothing, as they are only the wishes of a slave. My will is nothing, as it is only the will of a slave. I am at your mercy, totally. I am in your power, completely."
...
"It is one thing to own a woman," I said, "and it is another to have her within the bonds of an excellent mastery."
"Undoubtedly," he said.
"I do not think you have had much experience at this sort of thing," I said.
"No," he admitted. "I haven’t."
"Perhaps you, slave girl," I said to Lavinia, "can teach him something about the handling of slaves."
"Of course, Master," she smiled.
"You must make certain that you get everything you want (page 466) from her," I said, "and then, if you wish, more, even a thousand times more."
...
She must know that, you are not to be trifled with. She must know herself to be always within your discipline."
"I understand," he said.
"And as she is female," I said, "she may occasionally, curious, foolishly, particularly at first, wish to test the strength of your will, to discover, if you like, the boundaries of her condition."
"Master!" protested Lavinia.
"It is then up to you to teach her what they are, promptly, decisively, unmistakably."
"I understand," he said.
"She wants to know, so to speak, the length of her chain, the location of the walls of her cell. Too, she wants to be reassured of your strength. She wants to know that you are her master, truly, in the fullness of reality. Having learned this, she need not be so foolish in the future. She will have discovered that stone is hard and that fire burns. Thenceforth she will be in her place, pleased and content."
"The whip, tell him of the whip, Master!" said Lavinia.
"It is a symbol of authority, and an instrument of discipline," I said. "The slave is subject to it. Some masters think it is useful to occasionally use it on a slave, if only to remind her that she is a slave."
"How could anything so beautiful be touched with the leather?" he asked.
"That we learn to obey, and who is master!" laughed Lavinia.
"Buy a whip," I advised him.
"Yes, Master," said Lavinia.
"You wish me to buy a whip?" asked Milo of the slave.
"Yes, Master!" she said.
"But, why?" he asked.
"So I well know that I must obey, and be pleasing!" she said.
"I see," he said.
"And that you will have a convenient implement at hand for enforcing my discipline," she said.
"A whip, of course, is not absolutely necessary," I said. "There are many other means of enforcing discipline."
(page 467) "True," said Lavinia.
"But there is much to be said for the whip," I said. "It is perhaps the simplest, most practical device for such purposes. It is also traditional. Also, of course, it has symbolic value."
...
"You truly think I should get a whip?" asked Milo. I was pleased that he had addressed this question to me, and not to Lavinia. He was beginning, I noted, to get a sense of the mastery. The decision in such matters lay among free men, not with slaves. Lavinia looked up at, smiling. She, too, to her delight, recognized that she had been left out of the matter. Milo was learning, quickly, how to relate to her, namely, as her master. She was a slave. Such decisions would be made by others. She would not participate in them, but, as was appropriate for a slave, simply abide by their consequences.
...
"She is a slave," I said, "not a free companion, who may not be touched, to whom nothing may be done, even if she turns your life into a torture, even if she drives you mad, even if she intends to destroy you, hort by hort."
________________________________________
Branding as a Slave
A collar shows who owns a slave, but a brand normally identifies that a girl that is a slave. Hence, in the books, a brand almost always preceded a collar.
"carried Virginia to the branding rack and placed her in the rack, spinning the lever that locked her thigh in place. She said nothing but stood there, wrists braceleted behind her back, locked in place, watching the approach of the iron, observing the graceful, white-hot character at the iron's termination; she screamed uncontrollably when the iron marked her, firmly, decisively for about three Ihn; and then she sobbed, beside herself, while the guard spun the lever releasing her; he lifted her from the rack and put her on the stones at the feet of Ho-Tu and Flaminius" (Assassin of Gor, 149)
Much care is put into the choice of a brand and its application. Although mechanical branding devices are available, it is still a common task of the Metal Workers to hand-brand new slaves: "'The rack, however, is a useful device, preventing a blurred brand.' He indicated the guard. 'Strius,' said he, 'has one of the finest irons in Ar. His work is almost always exact and clean.'" (Assassin of Gor, 150)
"The most common brand sites, that on the left thigh, the favorite, and that on the right thigh, lacked slave marks. This determination, given the nature of her gamenture, could be instantly made. I then put her on her feet. "Oh!" she said. She was not branded on the lower left abdomen. That is perhaps the third most favored brand site. I then checked several other brand sites, such as the inside of the forearms, the left side of the neck, behind and below the left ear, the backs of her legs, and her buttocks. I even examined the insteps of her left and right feet. Her body was not branded." (Renegades of Gor, page 124)
Though a slave may be branded with a personal or city mark, most commonly kajira are branded simply with the first letter of the Gorean word for slave. There are also penalty brands which may be placed to mark a girl as a liar, a thief, a traitoress, etc.
• Kef: the first character in Gorean of the word "slave" — kajira or kajirus. It is the most common slave brand. Often the cursive k is used upon a kajira, and block-print upon a kajirus. (Outlaw of Gor, page 187)
o Staff & Fronds: regarded as a symbol of "beauty subject to discipline" (Savages of Gor, page 75) this mark is actually another name for the cursive kef (Savages of Gor, page 75)
• Dina: another common slave brand is that of a dina blossom, a small multi-petalled flower frequently referred to as the "slave flower." (Slave Girl of Gor, page 60-61)
• Sa`Fora Mark: "another common expression for a female slave, incidentally, the initial of which, in cursive script, is sometimes used to mark a girl, is Sa-Fora" (Hunters of Gor, page 194)
• Torvaldsland's Mark: "The brand used by the Forkbeard, found rather frequently in the North, consisted of a half circle, with, at it's right tip, adjoining it, a steep diagonal line. The half circle is about and inch and a quarter in height. The brand is, like many, symbolic, in the north, the bond-maid is sometimes referred to as a woman whose belly lies beneath the sword." (Marauders of Gor, page 87)
• Treve's Mark: "She regarded the brand. "It is the first letter, in cursive script," she said, "of the name of the city of Treve." (Captive of Gor, page 277)
• Port Kar's Mark: "I thought the brand of Port Kar might look well upon her body, placed above that of Treve." (Explorers of Gor)
• Tuchuk: "Tuchuk standard, the brand of the four bosk horns, set in a manner to somewhat resemble the letter H, is only about an inch high." (Nomads of Gor, page 62)
• Kataii brand: a bow facing to the left (Hunters of Gor, page 194)
• Kassar brand: three-weighted bola (Hunters of Gor, page 194)
• Paravaci: a semicircle on an inverted isosceles triangle representing a bosk head (Hunters of Gor, page 194)
• Taharic Slave Mark (Tribesmen of Gor, page 337) Shown above is what I had envisioned since I did not believe the books actually described the Taharic mark in detail... I was wrong.
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Patchwork Merchant Mercenaries had its humble beginnings as an idea of a few artisans and craftsmen who enjoy performing with live steel fighting. As well as a patchwork quilt tent canvas. Most had prior military experience hence the name.
Patchwork Merchant Mercenaries.
Vendertainers that brought many things to a show and are know for helping out where ever they can.
As well as being a place where the older hand made items could be found made by them and enjoyed by all.
We expanded over the years to become well known at what we do. Now we represent over 100 artisans and craftsman that are well known in their venues and some just starting out. Some of their works have been premiered in TV, stage and movies on a regular basis.
Specializing in Medieval, Goth , Stage Film, BDFSM and Practitioner.
Patchwork Merchant Mercenaries a Dept of, Ask For IT was started by artists and former military veterans, and sword fighters, representing over 100 artisans, one who made his living traveling from fair to festival vending medieval wares. The majority of his customers are re-enactors, SCAdians and the like, looking to build their kit with period clothing, feast gear, adornments, etc.
Likewise, it is typical for these history-lovers to peruse the tent (aka mobile store front) and, upon finding something that pleases the eye, ask "Is this period?"
A deceitful query!! This is not a yes or no question. One must have a damn good understanding of European history (at least) from the fall of Rome to the mid-1600's to properly answer. Taking into account, also, the culture in which the querent is dressed is vitally important. You see, though it may be well within medieval period, it would be strange to see a Viking wearing a Caftan...or is it?
After a festival's time of answering weighty questions such as these, I'd sleep like a log! Only a mad man could possibly remember the place and time for each piece of kitchen ware, weaponry, cloth, and chain within a span of 1,000 years!! Surely there must be an easier way, a place where he could post all this knowledge...
Traveling Within The World is meant to be such a place. A place for all of these artists to keep in touch and directly interact with their fellow geeks and re-enactment hobbyists, their clientele.
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